Search-light firearm.



1 1 M? Ulilw E. S. WARD.

SEARCH LIGHT FIREARM.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.13. 1915.

1,150,796. Pa1en1eaAug.17,1915.

A 4Z 454335 ifi UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE S. WARD, 0F PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR T0 OREGON ELECTRIC GUN COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, A CORPORATION OF OREGON.

SEARCH-LIGHT FIREARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

T0 all whom 'it may Concern.:

Be it known that I, EUGENE S. WARD, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and Improved Search-Light Firearm, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention, which has reference to that class of fire-arms having an illuminating means that operates conjunctively with the fire-arm, and by virtue of which the object to be sighted may be readily illuminated during the act of putting the lire-arm in a firing condition, seeks to provide an improved lire-arm of the character stated in which the illuminating means is designed and cooperatively so connected with the fire-arm as to render the operation of throwing the light directly on the point sighted by the fire-arm and thereby render the use of such rearm more effective than has, so far as I know, been heretofore possible in the use of searchlight lire-arms.

Heretofore illuminating attachments for lire-arms have generally been connected to the gun barrel or stock so that the focal lines from the illuminating means are sighted at a point different from the point sighted by the gun barrel.

One of the objects of my present invention is to provide an improved arrangement of the light throwing devices whereby they may be readily set to project the light rays directly on the point sighted by the gun bar# rel, said improved arrangement also including means for shifting the lens holder to regulate the focus of the light throwing lens to suit the desired requirements.

In my present invention, a circuit closing switch for the electric circuit for the lamp, operable by cooking the hammer, a latch device holding the switch closed as long as desired, is used in connection with means that coperates with the said latch device for fiXedly holding the circuit closing switch from effecting thc closing of the light circuit as the hammer is cocked, to thereby permit using the fire-arm in the ordinary manner without bringing the illuminating means into action.

In its more subordinate nature, my present invention embodies certain improved means for holding the electric light bulb in its socket and other details of construction and combination of parts all of which will ,be hereinafter explained, specically pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated 1n the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a view that illustrates one of the uses of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a fire-arm with the invention applied, one of the handle plates of the stock being removed, a portion of the stock being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the light barrel and the illuminating elements that coperate therewith. Fig. 4 is a cross section through the lamp socket and holding means on the line 4 4 on Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are cross sections taken on the lines 5 5 and 6 6 on Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a cross section on the line 7 7 on Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail longitudinal section of the lens carrying end of the light barrel and the eccentric mounting therefor. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view, parts being in section, of the lamp holding means and the adjacent end of the light barrel. Fig. l0 is a detail vertical section of the lamp circuit closing switch and the latch device that coperate therewith. Fig. ll is a detail horizontal section on the line ll ll on Fig. 10.

In my present construction of searchlight fire-arm, the barrel 2 of the fire-arm 1 has an integral pendent web 4, integral with the light barrel 3, which, in my present form of fire-arm is a permanent part of the same.

Within the light barrel 3 is. mounted the lens carrier, in the nature of a long tube 7 of much less diameter than the barrel 2, the inner end of which carries the lens 9 and the other or outer end a plain glass disk 90, the latter being provided to keep dirt out of the lens tube.

The lens 9 and the disk 90 are both adjustably held within the tube 7, by the spring wire rings that frictionally engage the tube, it being understood that the said rings can be shoved along, with the lens and disk, within the tube, to any point desired.

The lens carrier or tube 7 is longitudinally adjustable for getting the desired focus, and is held in such adjustment by a screw 6 that rides in a slot 60 in the barrel and which, in my present construction, is threaded into the lens tube 7, (see Fig. 7) to allow for the adjustments of the said tube 7, presently referred to.

H LCH t umm Heretofore, in fire-arms having illuminating means to be directed on the object to be shot at, the said illuminating means have frequently been such that the light rays are directed at some point other than the point sighted by the gun barrel, or in other words, the light barrel usually being at parallelism with the firing barrel, the rays of light are directed to one point and the firing directed to another point.

In my construction, I have provided means for changing the light rays to suit the sighting of the barrel, or, in other words, assuming the fire-arm to be used within the house and the objects to be sighted are say, 8 to 12 feet away, the usual room distance, the lens holder can be readily adjusted to direct the light rays that they focus at the point sighted by the gun barrel, say 10 feet away from the user of the lire-arm, as indicated by the broken lines a--b on Fig. 1 of the drawing, it being understood that for outdoor uses the adjustment of the lens tube is made for longer distances.

By referring now more particularly to Figs. 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8, it will be seen that the outer end of the tube 7 is mounted in an eccentric sleeve 12 inserted in the outer end of the tube 3 and having a milled edge 13 for conveniently turning it.

The rear end of the tube 7 is likewise mounted in an eccentric sleeve 14 mounted in said end of the tube 3 and provided with wrench receiving sockets 15 for turning it, the socket end facing into the lamp bulb chamber 16, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 9.

By mounting the lens tube 7 in the manner stated, the angle of the said tube, to bring its outer or light ejecting end high or low, relatively to the barrel 2, can be readily eected by a proper turning of the eccentric sleeves 12 and 14, and the advantage of such adjustment of the lens tube is apparent when it is understood that my light attachments may be readily applied to a gun on a man-of-war, to enable the gunner in darkness to direct the light rays on the object to be fired upon.

In my present form of light attachments for fire-arms, the light barrel 3 is provided with a lamp holding chamber formed of two half sections, one of which 20, is an integral part of the barrel 3, and the other 21 is a movable member hinged to the other member 2O to close thereon and held by the usual spring snap devices, as shown.

The member 20 includes a lamp socket holding extension 2Oa for receiving the lamp socket 23 which, in the present construction, is in the nature of a C shaped member of resilient material, the concavity 24 and the fingers 25 of which have thread grooves 26 for receiving the threaded shank 27 of the lamp.

One of the fingers 25 has a conveXed outer face 28 for being engaged by the concaved face of the flange portion 30 of the hinged member or door, when the latter is closed, to cause the socket member to securely clamp the lamp shank.

By providing a lamp receiver constructed as shown and described, a convenient and simple lamp holder is provided, into which the lamp can be fitted or from which it can be quickly removed without disconnecting any of the parts of the lamp holder, it being understood that by opening the hinged member the socket or clamp is readily removable from the extension 20a to permit the insertion of a new lamp in the socket, the latter being firmly clamped in place when the hinged member referred to is again closed.

As is well known, hammers of fire-arms, after being swung back to the cocking position, usually have a slight back lash ormovement in excess of the movement necessary for cocking the hammer,-the spring of the trigger-and herinafter termed the supplemental back movement of the hammer,7 and it is such excess movement that is used for shifting the circuit closer to energize the lamp, which is energized after the hammer is cocked.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be seen the stock has a passage 23a in which is concealed the wire 19 from the battery 31 whose terminals include spring contacts 324-33 that constitute the circuit closing fingers. rIhe contact fingers 32-33 are brought into contact to close the electric circuit to the lamp by a push pin 36 that projects up through the stock and is held in proper position by a cross pin 37. Pin 36 has a head adapted to be engaged by the hammer during the final back or supplemental movement after cocking or to be manipulated b the operator, as desired. Push pin 36, when forced down onto finger 33, brings it into contact with the finger 32, and in order that the push pin may be held down to keep iingers 32-33 in contact, a latch device is provided that consists of a latch pin 42 having a bore 43 through which the pin 36 passes, the said pin having an annular groove 38 to receive the edge 44 of the latch pin 42. Pin 42 has a head 45 that operates in the counterbore 41 against a spring 39 which tends to hold the edge 44 in continuous contact with the push pin 36, so when the said pin 36 is depressed, and the groove 38 comes into alinement with the edge 44, the latch pin 42 will hold the pin 36 down in its circuit closing position until released by finger pressure on the member 45.

In my present invention, a clamp screw 50 is mounted on the gun stock near the head 35 of the pin that engages the said pin and when screwed home holds the said pin against being forced down under the final y r/L/ i. t. ELLUMENTH in or supplemental movement of the hammer, and acts, as it were, as a stop to the movement of the hammer after it has been cocked.

By providing for holding the pin 36 against being depressed, the lightening devices are put out of action and the iirearm may be used in the ordinary way.

To provide against binding, the openings in the eccentric sleeves that receive the ends of the lens tube are made slightly tapering, as shown. i

In my application filed March 6, 1913, Ser. No. 876,557, I have disclosed a somewhat similar arrangement of push pin and latch arrangement corresponding to the parts 36 and 42 herein shown and described and in that application claims thereto have been made but in this application, I make no claim to those parts per se, as claimed in my previous application. In connection with the aforesaid parts, however, in this case, I have disclosed a set screw for preventing the movement of the push pin 42 to prevent the closing of the contacts. That is not disclosed in my previous application aforesaid.

Vhat I claim is:

l. In a searchlight fire-arm, an illuminator, means for controlling the same, a lens carrying tube, a means that coperates with the said tube for adjusting it relatively to the gun barrel, the said means comprising a barrel that receives the lens carrying tube connected with the gun barrel and in parallelism therewith, and eccentric sleeve bearings for the opposite ends of the tube rotatably mounted in the ends of the tube receiving barrel.

2. In a searchlight fire-arm, an illuminator, mea ns for controlling the same, a lens carrying tube, a means that coperates with the said tube for adjusting it relatively to the gun barrel, the said means comprising a barrel that receives the lens carrying tube connected with the gun barrel and in parallelism therewith, eccentric sleeve bearings for the opposite ends of the tube rotatably mounted in theends of the tube receiving barrel, and further means mounted on the tube receiving barrel and connected with the lens carrying tube for shifting the lens carrying tube endwise within its bearing sleeves.

3. In a searchlight fire-arm, the combination with the illuminating means including a lens holding barrel, a lamp housing on the lens holding end of the said barrel, the said housing consisting of a iiXed section and a hinged section, the said sections having socket receiving portions, a U-shaped resilient member having internal threads and seated in one of the socket receiving portions of the housing, and having its ends proj ected to be engaged by the socket portion of the hinged section of the housing when the latter is closed, the said U-shaped member being adapted for receiving the screw shank of the lamp.

4. In a searchlight fire-arm, the combination with the illuminating means including a lens holding barrel, a lamp housing on the lens holding end of the said barrel, said housing comprising a fiXed section and a hinged section, the said sections having socket receiving portions, an L-shaped resilient socket member having internal threads removably held in the socket receiving portion of the iiXed housing section and having its free ends projected to be engaged by the socket portion in the hinged housing when the latter is closed, the said L-shaped member being adapted to receive the screw shank of the lamp.

5. In a light attachment for fire arms; the combination with an electric lamp mounted on the fire arm; of a circuit controlled for the lamp, said controller including two spring contacts, a push pin, the said push pin including a head adapted to be engaged by the hammer in cocking, and means for locking said pin against movement by the hammer to thereby prevent the closing of the aforesaid contacts.

EUGENE S. WARD.

Vitnesses:

A. B. CROPP, A. T. LEWIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

